The Garden's End
by borgprincess
Summary: Elizabeth Weir has been taken prisoner. But she's not in the mood to play helpless female. Warning: don't read if you believe she is anything other than strong, determined and full of spirit.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No infringement intended. Stargate Atlantis and its wonderful, though often underappreciated, characters are not mine. I could probably do a much better job managing it if I were in charge. But I'm not, just so we're all clear. XP

A/N: I believe that Elizabeth Weir is a strong, capable and resourceful woman. She just doesn't get enough damn screen-time.

_Dedicated to SMB-Books for motivating me to write again._

_And thanks to Alternate Ego for the inspiration. _

The Garden's End

Her lungs were burning. The humid air felt too thick to sustain her, clogging her throat before being expelled in her next pained breath. Her heart was thumping so violently that she thought it would leap right out of her chest. And her aching legs, protesting this unprecedented abuse, threatened to give out at any moment.

Overall status? Not the best she had ever been.

It was at times like this when she wished she had taken up jogging on Atlantis. John and Ronon did it all the time, swaggering through the halls afterwards with a healthy glow of exertion that only increased the number of appreciative female glances they already received. Damn poster boys for effortless running. They certainly didn't suffer debilitating cramps or wheeze like they were on the verge of a heart attack. If she had only jogged more, she wouldn't be in this sorry state.

Not that she would've gone with _them_, in the unlikely event that they had extended an offer. The boys needed their male bonding time, after all, without her intrusion. Besides, the embarrassment of holding them back would be too much- she couldn't be considered diminutive, but trying to keep up with their long legs would be nothing short of impossible.

Ronon didn't appreciate her company much, either. He always clammed up when she was around, though she didn't take it personally. The Satedan had been on Atlantis for over a year and John and Teyla were the only people he socialized with, though he was also forced to put up with Rodney through necessity-

- a branch scored her cheek just then, dispersing her pensive thoughts in an instant, like the shock of a carelessly tossed stone that disrupted calm waters, and dragged her back to the present. Elizabeth told herself she needed to focus more and daydream less- the stakes were too high for anything else. Though it was so tempting to let her mind wander, to distract her from feeling the exhaustion of the run, to help her keep moving when all her body wanted was to collapse under the strain.

She wasn't sure whether to curse or thank the Ancients for their tendency to plant the gate in forested planets. If this were a desert planet, she wouldn't be risking a twisted ankle with every step, or ducking to avoid a tree limb from taking out her eyes. On the other hand, she would then be completely exposed out in the open, and her pursuers would have picked her off by then. At least this forest was hindering their progress as much as hers. And the raucous calls of the native birdlife helped conceal the sound of a woman running for her life.

A slender sinuous shape dangled directly in front of her, and she recoiled violently to the side, thinking it was a snake. The sudden fright caused her heart to lurch, before it was replaced with the urge to laugh at herself once she realized it was a harmless tree vine. Her steps slowed involuntarily, as the automatic impulse to put one foot in front of the other was interrupted by this shock, and Elizabeth at last came to a shuddering stop. Her body didn't get the message at first, and her chest still heaved at such a pace that it seemed she was going to be sick. For a moment, her vision swam, and she reached out blindly to the nearest tree, sliding down to huddle at its base. Its sturdy large roots were exposed above the soil on either side of her, giving the comforting illusion that she was peering out from inside the tree itself, tucked away from danger.

Slowly, her erratic breathing pace came under her control once more, smooth and steady, and the air no longer seemed like viscous jelly blocking her airways. Elizabeth rested her head against the rough bark of the tree, gazing up at the forest canopy, trying to regain her composure and organize her thoughts.

She didn't have a plan. The only thing she could do was what she had been doing so far. Running blindly, hoping and praying. The location of the gate was more of a fuzzy general sense in her mind than a certainty. Elizabeth couldn't afford to believe that she was lost, too much depended on her making it back to Atlantis.

The woman who had helped her escape was still a prisoner of the man who had caged them both like exotic creatures in a zoo, exhibits for his pleasure. Elizabeth looked down with distaste at the remnants of the gown he had picked out for her to wear. Red, he decided, was not her color. Probably because he had seen it was her preferred choice, and he had to erase what he could of her individuality. Instead, she had been clothed in a delicate sapphire gown, complete with yards of impractical sheer material draping off one shoulder down to the ground. Elizabeth had ripped it off so that the material wouldn't catch onto the branches and leave a trail for anyone to follow, but as a result, her arms were bare and exposed, and now that she was at rest, she began to notice a few stinging scratches from her flight through the forest. Thank goodness there didn't seem to be any mosquitoes on this planet, because the combination of low cut dress plus biting insects would have made this all the more frustrating than it already was.

Elizabeth reached up to her throat, fingers tracing the beaded choker she wore. She had tried to remove it and failed, realizing that when she tugged, it simply grew tighter around her neck. An obedience collar used to bring new women into line…now around _her_ throat.

Telling herself to forget her disgust at the man's depravity, she reminded herself that she had been lucky to escape before he had been able to break her.

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_Reviews appreciated. Just so you know. ;) _


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Not that I believe anyone would take her, but Sekara's mine. Came up with her all on my own. XP

The Garden's End Pt 2

_Five days ago:_

Elizabeth regained consciousness slowly, the foreboding sense that something was wrong piercing the fogginess of her thoughts. She didn't remember going to bed the previous night. In fact, she didn't remember leaving the dinner that their alien hosts had put on. Which either meant she had drunk too much alien booze, or, considering that she made a point not to get drunk in general, let alone at diplomatic functions, something more sinister was going on…

She opened her eyes, dreading what she would find. And discovered that her worst fears had been confirmed- she was all alone in what looked like a giant fish tank. If fish tanks came with interrogation-room style glass. The walls reflected her own image back at her, revealing nothing beyond the room. Elizabeth rose from the bed, the only piece of furniture in this cell, and circled around to examine her new accommodations.

In the midst of her confusion and anger at finding herself imprisoned, a concealed door opened, and a woman walked through. She was not very tall, with dark hair woven in an intricate braid that wound around her head, and had a painfully slender frame that gave the impression a gust of air would topple her over. Just as Elizabeth was contemplating the rash notion of pushing past this stranger and running off, she caught a glance of two armed guards out in the hallway.

If she had been naively inclined to hope this was all a misunderstanding, that hope was extinguished now.

Looking at the beautiful stranger, she realized the only option now was to befriend this woman and elicit any information she could use to her advantage. Reining in the urge to lash out- not unreasonable given the circumstances, she thought- Elizabeth offered a humorless smile. "I'm Dr Elizabeth Weir. You'll understand if I don't say I'm pleased to be here," she said wryly, waving a hand in an enquiring manner, "Wherever 'here' is."

Sekara introduced herself dispassionately, and explained that she had been assigned to impart the Lord's standard orders for all new chattels. Elizabeth's eyebrow arched the moment she heard the word 'chattels'.

'Firstly and most importantly, you are not to speak without his command, and you must not challenge anything he says," said Sekara, without any inflection to indicate her personal feelings on the matter. "You are no longer a person of consequence, now you are his property alone.'

'No,' Elizabeth said firmly. 'That isn't true. I am the leader of the expedition at the city of the Ancients, and my people _will_ come for me. I won't just give up and let someone take control of my life like this, not without putting up a fight.'

The other woman was startled out of her passive façade, and regarded Elizabeth with a more assessing gaze now, as though she had not expected this show of defiance and was reluctantly intrigued. 'You are not from here,' she said quietly. 'He is a powerful man- the Lawmaker of our people. No one will come looking for you here, I guarantee you."

"John Sheppard and his team are very persistent, they won't give up on me," said Elizabeth, delivering her words with confidence. She believed them completely. The only problem was that they wouldn't even know where to begin looking.

_Only_, she thought, with a healthy sense of irony.

"I can see that you will not listen to reason," said Sekara. "It would be easier for you to accept the reality of your new position, but you seem to be rather stubborn. I advise that you tone down this quality of yours when the Lord comes to visit, or his punishment will be severe."

"Thank you for the warning." Elizabeth watched her leave, and drew in a deep breath. Waiting around for this Lord to visit was going to be very stressful.

_---------------------------------- _

_That evening:_

It wasn't anything in his expression or manner that was fearsome in itself. Elizabeth had negotiated bound and blind-folded with Genii soldiers in her first year in the Pegasus Galaxy; and she had faced the Wraith Queen in her own office on Atlantis in the second. She had not been out of her depth in either situation, but took the dire circumstances as motivation to prove herself beyond all her previously defined limits.

This time, it was completely different.

Absent was the fear of imminent death, and in its place was the helplessness she associated more with the time the IOA had put her on trial for all her decisions as leader of Atlantis, and threatened to separate her from the city and the people she had come to care deeply about. The same helplessness she had been overcome by when the Ancients had returned to rule their city and her expedition had been ousted without ceremony. Because just as in those situations, this man didn't see her as a leader. Many people had doubted her abilities in the past, and that had only firmed her resolve to make them acknowledge her worth. Even the Genii and the Wraith had recognized her as leader of Atlantis. But this man had just ripped her from that life and designated her to be a mere possession, something that belonged to him, that he could lock in a room to await his attention. A toy he maneuvered at will.

Facing this one man, Elizabeth was afraid.

He had entered the room without any undue pomp. That was for men who were unsure of their position and wanted to make it clear to everyone that they were _someone_. This man was confident of himself, and possessed an aura of authority, unforced but instantly recognizable. He was someone whose word would be obeyed by those around him, and he was someone who would _not_ be denied what he wanted.

Sekara trailed behind him, carrying some clothing. He didn't bother with introductions or any small talk, merely indicated to her and told Elizabeth, "Your clothing is no longer appropriate. Instead, you will wear this gown to mark your new status. Also, I have provided a band," he motioned at the entourage who had also accompanied him into the room, and she saw that one of the guards held a case that displayed a silver choker, studded with blue stones at regular intervals. "This will be part of your daily wardrobe; it is designed to encircle your throat, and will remind you of your place and who you serve."

Elizabeth resisted the urge to tell him to go to hell, and settled for a calm, reasonable tone. "This is absurd. You have no right to kidnap me like this. I am the leader of Atlantis, and rest assured, there _will_ be people looking for me." He regarded her with the bemused air of someone watching an animal perform a trick, and couldn't work out how it had been done. "Let me go now, and there will be no repercussions for your actions. But if you insist on maintaining this-"

"I have not witnessed the spectacle of someone daring to defy me since…well, since Sekara here became the first member of my personal menagerie," he said musingly, completely ignoring her speech. "It is not something I enjoy dealing with; you will remember not to speak to me in such a manner again or I will be forced to demonstrate the consequences. Nothing disfiguring, of course, that would defeat the whole purpose of adding you to my collection." He smiled chillingly. "I hope that is simple enough for your alien mind to comprehend. Now put on your dress, fasten the band around your throat, and do not make this harder on yourself than it needs to be."

"I'm afraid my highly developed sense of personal autonomy objects to your entire philosophy on slavery," said Elizabeth in a flippant manner that she wasn't certain she could pull off. "Maybe we could have a discussion on the joys of civil liberties versus the offensive nature of dictatorship over tea and biscuits? It might enlighten you to know that my _simple_ alien race abolished the human slave trade decades ago."

He sighed, and nodded at the guards. "Do it."

Elizabeth drew back instinctively as they moved towards her. She felt like screaming, but knew it would accomplish nothing. "Wait," she said, trying to hide her increasing desperation. "This is not necessary- I came here to trade with your people! We can offer assistance to you, we have medicines, technology of the Ancestors-"

Two guards grasped her arms and held her firmly in place, now matter how hard she twisted and pulled. When the third guard reached out with the choker, Elizabeth lost her grip on the panic swelling inside her and kicked out at him frantically, trying to keep him away. She wasn't sure why the trinket was so important to the Lord, but could not stomach the thought of him marking her as his property. The two guards dragged her over to the bed and pushed her down, holding her arms and legs, and even as she bucked against their combined strength, the choker was inexorably placed around her neck, then snapped securely into place.

Irrationally, she felt insulted for a moment when they briskly let go of her and stepped back to their positions by the Lord. Almost as though they were eager to wash their hands of her, to keep their distance from the alien like she carried a disease or something.

A moment later, she understood why they weren't keen to remain in contact with her as the blinding pain tore through her body like a bolt of lightning, and she convulsed awkwardly. Realization set in when she saw the device in the Lord's hands, and the satisfied set of his features. This _collar_ was the instrument of his punishment. Of course. It was pretty and functional, delivered a hell of a jolt yet left her unmarked. Perfect.

"Do you feel more like a man now?" she said hoarsely, raising herself up on her elbows. She didn't dare try sitting up properly just yet. Any thought of caution deserted her as she taunted him bitterly, "Find it too hard to get yourself a woman the normal way? I wonder what it says about you that you need to abduct women and torture them in order to bind them to you." His face was set like a stone as he endured her barbs. "And not just _one_ woman at a time, no, you need a whole _menagerie_! I can't even begin to imagine what deficiencies you must be compensating for."

Out of the corner of her vision, Elizabeth registered Sekara's hand fluttering to her mouth in a gesture of dismay. _She _did_ warn me_, Elizabeth thought.

The Lord approached her, and out of pride, she did manage to sit up after all and direct a glare at him. In a move that could be mistaken for gentle, he pushed her back down onto the bed. "Why don't you relax and lie down?" he said, with a parody of a smile. "I would be remiss in my responsibilities if you fell off and hurt yourself. Now, hopefully this lesson will not require too much of my time. Learn quickly and save us both the trouble."

_Oh, hell. _That was all she had time to think before he triggered the device again and generated the relentless electric shocks that stole her breath and set her writhing with agony once more. Elizabeth clawed at the bed-sheets, digging her nails in as her body bowed against the jolts, elevating her off the bed. At this point, she would have welcomed falling to the ground, desperate for any other sensation to relieve her from the overwhelming sensation of electricity flooding through her, setting her muscles on fire and impulses rushing to her brain, screaming of one thing. _Pain_.

She wanted to give in. She wanted to promise him anything if only he would end this. No one, not even the sanctimonious members of the IOA, could find any wrongdoing in her actions if she fell apart and wept and begged for mercy. But if she pleaded with him now, that man won and she was lost.

Her teeth bit into her lower lip as she fought against that moment of weakness as much as the torment. And Elizabeth thought of Atlantis.

Of the pleasure she felt at random moments, like when she received a new report from the science labs, gushing over the discovery of a new device that could have exciting applications; or when she put down a report and stretched back in her chair, looking over at the control room to see the people on duty moving around with purpose, and felt the awe and the responsibility of being their leader.

She remembered the many startling yet undeniably amusing occasions; the return of an unusually disheveled Zelenka, complete with face paint and pigtails courtesy of the children on M7G-677; the time when Lorne and his men had accidentally disturbed a scientific experiment, triggering a harmless chemical reaction that had nonetheless left them with eerily glowing skin, requiring them to take a week off duty as this affliction understandably rendered them useless for recon and exploration. Walking in on Teyla sounding whipping Ronon's butt during their regular training sessions had tested her ability to maintain a sober expression in the face of wounded male dignity, as had John's snores on the one occasion during which he'd attempted to teach her meditation.

She evoked the peace she felt when she stood at the balcony overlooking the gate room and welcomed home a team that had safely returned from a mission; as well as the moments she spent at the balcony outside the control room where she dreamily gazed down at the ocean, often enjoying the breathtaking view with John as they stood together, either in companionable silence or deep in discussion about their plans and their goals.

There was an entire library's worth of the fun, exhilarating and amazing events she had been fortunate enough to be a part of as the head of the expedition team. Elizabeth didn't have any regrets about choosing to come to this galaxy at all, and if this was how it was to end, she would face it with the dignity and courage that she had tried to live by her entire life.

And then the pain was gone.

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	3. Chapter 3

The Garden's End Pt 3

_Four days ago:_

Elizabeth wasn't sure whether she had blacked out and lost time, or whether the Lord had a pressing schedule with matters more important than torturing someone into submission and had taken his leave when she wasn't looking. Absence was _definitely_ not going to make the heart fonder. Either way, when she opened her eyes, he had disappeared and she could breathe properly again.

A low moan issued from between her lips, but she couldn't manage to articulate the swear words crowding her mind. Probably for the best, as Sekara hazily shifted and swayed before her eyes. Elizabeth had to blink a few times before the multiple images resolved into one clear image of the woman. Wearing a new outfit. Must be a different day, then. Though the way her body ached, the torture was all too recent for it to have been long enough to become a bad memory just yet.

There was a strange look on Sekara's face. Respect? Well, Elizabeth was feeling way too ill to be an authority on alien facial expressions right now. She could be imagining it.

"You are a surprise," Sekara said slowly.

"That's wonderful," she answered, testing out her voice. Hoarse, as expected, and painful through her dry throat. Her tongue felt swollen, too, where she had bitten it when she was first shocked. "I was just thinking earlier that I've been a bit dull lately. Guess this is the way to liven up my image." She licked her lips in discomfort.

"Here," Sekara offered her a mug. "It will ease your throat."

Elizabeth eyed her warily for a moment. The woman sighed. "Do you think I have not been in your position?" she exposed her throat, deliberately displaying her own choker. "Drink. You will feel better."

"Did your 'Lord' put you up to this?" Elizabeth persisted. She wanted that drink, yes, but the thought of doing anything he wanted was abhorrent. She hadn't gone through that horrifying experience just to accede to his wishes now.

Sekara shook her head. "Do you really think he cares for your comfort? You are more naïve than I thought, if so. Drink this."

As Elizabeth gratefully sipped the hot drink, Sekara sat down on the bed beside her and studied her curiously. "You suffered a great deal unnecessarily. I advised you earlier that stilling your tongue and treating him reverently would prevent any undue punishment."

"I'm new at this," said Elizabeth in dry tones. "I'm bound to make a few mistake at first."

"You do not intend to obey him, do you?"

She dropped the flippant act and looked at Sekara seriously. "I am not a slave. I am a person with rights and even if he doesn't respect that, I have faith in my team and all I have to do is survive until they rescue me. Although on second thought, I think I'd prefer to make my own way out, rather than helplessly languishing about doing the damsel-in-distress routine."

"Your friends will not be permitted to search here. The Lord has high status in our society. It would be offensive to even suggest he might be the one responsible for your disappearance, let alone authorize such an intrusion on his property. As for escape, it is so isolated here, the forest is extensive and a river winds around the perimeter…and besides, even if you could navigate your way without losing your way, the guards will hunt you down before you have a chance to make contact with your friends, or to escape through the portal. There is no hope of regaining your freedom.'

'The fact that you have thought all this through tells me that you are not the compliant victim you're trying to appear,' Elizabeth said shrewdly. 'You've given a great deal of thought to what an escape would involve. There is a way out of here and with your knowledge, we can both make it if-'

She stopped as the other woman's expression shuttered all of a sudden, freezing up without warning. 'I can't,' she said, regret raggedly piercing the two words.

'Why not?' she asked, willing the woman to open up, to trust her.

'He has my son.' Sekara tilted her head away from Elizabeth, as though trying to hide any hint of emotion in her eyes.

Elizabeth set down her mug and reached out to take the other woman's hands in sympathy.

"I know you don't believe me, but don't let this man take away your hope. He thinks he has made you his slave, but you still think for yourself. It must be so hard to consider establishing your independence from him after being kept here however long he's wrongly imprisoned you, but I am not giving up hope. And when I do manage to escape here, with or without your involvement, I promise you that I will bring help and free you _and_ your son."

Sekara squeezed her hands, then let go and stood up to go and fetch the dress that she had been carrying earlier. She shook it out for Elizabeth to see. "You must wear this dress, and," said Sekara, forestalling her instinctive refusal, "once you appear to be docile and under his control, I will do my best to help you escape."

Elizabeth blinked at how abruptly successful her pitch had been. She had thought for sure that Sekara would need more convincing, more incentive, definitely a lot more encouragement. "Why?" Though given her position, it wasn't like she would be giving too much thought about whether or not to accept the woman's help.

Sekara shrugged, trying to think how to explain the dramatic shift in attitude. Unwilling to leave her boy behind, she had given up on planning escape a long time ago. It was the thought of her son that motivated her to ally with Elizabeth, the desire to get him away from this grim, forbidding place to somewhere he could finally experience life as a child, not a prisoner. But there was another reason, something harder to explain. Looking into the other woman's eyes, she had seen courage and compassion, a quiet conviction in her beliefs and her friends. In response, Sekara could feel the faint flickers of hope rekindling in her, something that seemed foreign to after living so long with despair.

"Mainly because of my son," she said simply. "But also because you make me want to believe in you. And seeing the way you resisted him…" she shook her head disbelievingly. "I have seen many women come here and submit to him because they were afraid, because they were weak. A harsh assessment, but one that is true, even of myself. You have the spirit I displayed when I was first taken, and I do not wish to see it smothered and caged. Although what I witnessed before suggests to me that you would willingly die before becoming his servant. That you would bite out your own tongue before assuming our dutiful tones and addressing him as 'my Lord'."

Elizabeth winced, feeling her tongue throb. "It nearly came to that," she said ruefully. At least she had been prepared the second time the Lord had triggered the shock and made sure her mouth was safely closed. There were stories about people who had literally bitten their tongues in half when electrocuted like this. It would be a bad joke to have a diplomat without a tongue. "Thank you for the drink, I feel a little better. And…let me see the dress," she stretched out her arm and took hold of the sheer blue material, eyebrow arching as she studied its provocative design. "I hope your plan to help me escape is to be executed sooner, rather than later? I don't think I could stand wearing this for too long, not to mention I'd probably catch a cold in it."

"It will not be easy," Sekara said warningly. "But it would be wise to move soon. He has been called back to the city on short notice, and he departs soon. When he is absent, that would be the best time to make your escape."

"All right. I defer to your greater knowledge," said Elizabeth with a conspiratorial smirk, then sighed and looked the outfit in her hands with disgust. "Hard to believe it all starts with this dress."

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	4. Chapter 4

The Garden's End Pt 4

_Three days ago: _

Elizabeth felt like a debutante at a ball. She definitely looked the part, decked out in style, wearing a creamy white sleeveless dress with slender straps under a delicate lacy off-the-shoulders overlay, in a starker white with intricate designs worked into it. Rather like a table cloth. She was a debutante in a table cloth pattern. Hanging around til a man showed up and considered her assets before judging her acceptable by his standards and asked her for a dance.

Oh, wait, a man had already assessed her, found her worthy of his attention and whisked her off to his manor to be his plaything. She was one of those blue-stockings in the Harlequin Regency romances that caught the eye of a rake who was so spellbound that he _had_ to have her, by fair means or foul. Like compromising her in the library or settling a debt with a family member by bargaining for her innocence or simply kidnapping her and taking the fastest carriage to Gretna Green where they were married by less-than-scrupulous priests.

Nowhere in those books had there been any mention of the anti-hero who collected women like stamps. Although that was not a particularly flattering assessment of her worth. The Lord, for whom she had no other name except the censored ones in her mind, was more of an art collector, scooping up the rarest and most beautiful pieces for his private museum. Then dressing them in table-cloths.

Elizabeth sighed. The dress really wasn't that awful. Not her normal style, perhaps, but it suited her. Under any other conditions, this would have been enjoyable, since she didn't have many opportunities to dress up on Atlantis. Her Earth wardrobe didn't feel suited to the Pegasus Galaxy, and she had gotten into the habit of wearing the 'same old' every day: pants, jacket, red top. Jeans were too incongruous in their decidedly alien environment. It was strange how the familiar began to look out of place after a while. When she had been forced to return to Earth, her own apartment had felt strange and unfamiliar. Being surrounded by peace and quiet, not anticipating something exciting or dangerous happening at a moment's notice, without the adrenaline rush of constantly expecting the unexpected…

Though she certainly hadn't foreseen being set up as Rapunzel in a glass room. Complete with long braided hair. Oh, yes, the Lord apparently had a thing for long hair, which meant she had acquired extensions. Yet another way of stripping prisoners of their identity, Elizabeth supposed. She had wanted to protest on principle, but figured that being tortured before her big escape was not the best plan, and acquiescing might be more prudent. Nevertheless, just to keep up appearances, she had protested defiantly, expertly divining the point where the Lord had been on the verge of triggering those agonizing shocks again and then dutifully submitted. She hadn't missed the gleam of satisfaction in his eyes, realized how he thrived on breaking women down, subjugating their will to his. It was a mental vampirism that disgusted her, made her itch to taunt that smugness off his face, but knew that was a foolish move, no matter how enjoyable. For some reason, she had noticed that dangerous situations seemed to prompt men to brag, mouth off and generally lose all sense of reason, just to prove how macho they were, even if they ended up with a bloody nose or broken ribs afterward. Jack O'Neill was the template for this sort of illogical behavior. Her forte was words, but she was wise enough to know this was not the time to employ them.

And now her hair was braided the same way as Sekara's and wound around her head in a heavy unwelcome mass. The unaccustomed weight was giving her a major headache. Her makeover had been achieved without a single word from the hired help. Elizabeth tried to crack the man's stoic demeanor, feel out whether he had any sympathy for the women's plight and could possibly offer assistance of a more _useful_ nature, but eventually stopped in frustration, encountering nothing but mute stonewalling in response.

So here she was, demurely settled in a new room all of her own. Elizabeth certainly enjoyed the upgrade from creepy fish tank to golden birdcage. At least it came with an en suite, and even a view, though the scenery was diminished when seen through bars. A dressing table and chair were bolted to the floor in the corner, should she feel the need to admire herself. But she ignored that and the bed, choosing to sit at the stool in front of a small coffee table instead. It seemed more civilized. Here she waited for the Lord to come inspect her before he left to attend to matters in the city and allay any possible suspicions that he was involved with her disappearance. Primped and preened within an inch of her life just to leave him with a favorable impression, rather like an appetizer to whet his hunger for the main course.

_Now I'm comparing myself to a bread roll_, she thought with a mental roll of her eyes. Her thoughts were growing increasingly bizarre, probably a side effect of sitting around with nothing to do.

Elizabeth missed the daily grind of life on Atlantis; falling asleep and waking to the sound of the waves, the simple act of attaching her earpiece and being in contact with everyone in the city, walking to her office and greeting people on the way…wondering where she could lay her hands on citrus when McKay was being infuriating, making a mental list of people she could call on to dress up as clowns when John was annoying her, doing the occasional girls' lunch with Teyla… making notes on her PDA during briefings, playing Solitaire on her PDA when she needed a break, rescuing her PDA when McKay began fiddling with it or smacking John's hand when he tried to slide it away because he thought she wasn't looking…she felt like she'd lost a limb without the little instrument nearby, fancied she could almost feel its welcome weight in her hands for a moment before the illusion faded. Of all the damn things to crave at this moment.

Just then, the Lord finally made his appearance. As though he'd been monitoring her thoughts and calculated his entrance to coincide with her most depressed musings. The guards took up their customary positions by the door, dour expressions on their faces like they thought she was about to make a break for it and warned her that they were ready. Elizabeth didn't focus on them, instead she watched the Lord and how his eyes lit up as he took in her new and improved appearance, a tiny smile softening his grim features. As he circled her, another analogy popped into her head: _the dragon hoarding its treasure_.

She could easily picture him as a scaly, avaricious monster; counting its coins to delight at the wealth it had amassed, playing with its necklaces and chalices and crowns, admiring how shiny and pretty they were with no remorse over the theft.

A smirk appeared on her face as this tangent suddenly veered to Smeegle from _Lord of the Rings_, cooing over his Precious. Hmm, would that make John and Rodney the two main hobbits? Then Ronon could be Gandalf because he was so tall, but that left out Teyla in this scenario…

"Is this impudence I still observe in you?" asked the Lord thoughtfully, and Elizabeth stiffened as she realized she had let her humble façade slip, and lowered her eyes meekly as she schooled her expression to neutrality once more. He cupped her chin and raised her face to him, thumb gently stroking over her cheek. "Ah, my dear, you do not fool me anymore. I see I was too hasty in my judgment of your character. You are not as easily broken as the other women, are you? Good. It has been a while since any woman has posed a challenge. It shall be sweet to test the limits of your will once I have the time to devote my full attention to you."

Her mind raced as she wondered how to reply, or whether to risk it at all. He chuckled and circled her slowly, trailing his knuckles under her chin to the vulnerable spot of her unsettled pulse, over her collarbone to the smooth creamy skin of her shoulders and around behind her. "Much better without that hideous jacket," he said with approval. "And with your hair swept up in such a becoming style, it emphasizes your elegant neck." His thumb idly found each individual vertebra at the base of her neck.

"I am so pleased my neck is to your liking," said Elizabeth in a sweet tone, even as she wished an army of ants would lay siege to his bed just so he could understand how her skin crawled at this moment.

"Nature has been lavish with her gifts," he said, tone warming in admiration, calculated to irritate her. "Your bone structure is exquisite, the cheekbones angular without being too wide…marvelous…I chose well in you, indeed."

"I am going to pine away in your Lordship's absence. No man has ever been so effusive with his praise of my appearance before."

Suddenly he loomed over her and his face was so close beside hers as he leant over her shoulder that they were nearly cheek-to-cheek. "Do not be distressed, I promise you, I will make this trip as short as I can."

"I will await your Lordship's return with bated breath," said Elizabeth calmly. She had been expecting this sort of move from him. In a prisoner-captor situation, the captor only stood behind someone when they were trying to intimidate that someone. The Genii had done it better.

He sounded amused at her impassivity, drawling, "You are definitely going to be a delightful challenge." The Lord straightened, squeezing her shoulder for a moment, then strode out of the room. Watching his departing back, then raising an imperious brow at the guards who threw her one last grim glance before following in his wake, Elizabeth reflected it was just as well she had that en suite. After this little encounter, she desperately needed a shower.

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_Reviews, as always, are appreciated. ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Okay, the format's changed a bit here. This chapter and the next-to-be-posted will be on the same day. A two-parter within the series of chapters, so to speak, as this day ended up being a little longer than I had planned, and I had to break it up. So, here it begins, in all its unwieldy glory.

_------------- This_ _chapter's for Country Joy, for all the hugs _:) _----------_

The Garden's End Pt 5

_Two days ago:_

Elizabeth awoke suddenly to the unfamiliar sensation of someone shaking her out of sleep. Briefly, she wondered if she was late for a meeting, and why the alarm on her organizer hadn't woken her up earlier. She blinked at the dark-haired woman who was bent over her, then sighed in recognition.

"Morning, Sekara."

"You do not seem pleased to see me," she observed, straightening up out of Elizabeth's line of sight. She sounded amused as she continued, "My own son is rarely happy to be woken up either."

"Oh, don't take it personally," said Elizabeth, sitting up in bed to face her properly, running a hand through her tousled hair. She felt a little tug as she pulled her hand away too soon, forgetting she had longer hair now. It was such an inconvenience. Before she could've made do without a hairbrush, as her hair simply fell into place with its simple waves. Now it required practically half an hour to brush out and weave into the complicated style all the women were required to adopt. "I was just hoping this was all a bad dream. My nightmares have been more vivid lately."

Sekara gestured to the little table by the window. "I can do little to soothe your sleep, but I have brought breakfast."

"Good answer," said Elizabeth. "Forget $10, 000, I'm willing to get out of bed for food." She waved a hand at Sekara's questioning look, "Sorry, Earth reference. Famous model, very successful, refused to work unless offered exorbitant sums of money."

If anything, Sekara now looked more baffled. "Model?" she asked, as Elizabeth went into the adjoining bathroom to splash her face with water so she could feel more awake. Of all the mornings, this was not the one to feel sluggish.

"Someone slender with appealing features who wears expensive, impractical yet highly sought-after clothing to impress others," she answered, pressing a button that filled the shallow bowl with floral-scented water and then vigorously scrubbed at her face. After she dried off, Elizabeth studied her reflection critically, considering the hair that fell to her hips with a dire glance. It was just so _strange_ to feel it swishing past her elbows.

She emerged from the bathroom to find that comprehension illuminated Sekara's features.

"I see. You were making an analogy to our situation. Since we are required to dress according to high fashion to please the Lord, we are akin to these models, correct?"

Elizabeth tilted her head. "Yes. Although explaining it kind of kills the joke."

"You were joking about the models?"

"No, no, the models exist." She sat down at the table and began nibbling at the leafy vegetables first. When dealing with alien food, it was always safest to start off with the salad. She hadn't detected much difference in the salads on planets throughout two galaxies, so it was always a newcomer's best bet. There wasn't much that alien environments could do to ruin a good vegetable.

Sekara slipped into the seat opposite hers, a brooding expression on her face. "Why would people be paid to wear high-status clothing? Are they not be required to pay for the clothing themselves? How does a person make a living if they give away clothing to others and pay them for the privilege?"

She thought of Rodney for a moment and smiled. "You remind me of someone I know. He's always overanalyzing everything. Anyway, the whole point of modeling is that you have attractive people wearing outrageously priced outfits and the average citizen is then consumed with the need to emulate that same look and spends more money than advisable on trying to achieve it. The money that the models are paid is offset by the attention and profit they draw to the designer that provided them with the clothing." She smiled again, this time at this whimsical scene of two female captives of a megalomaniac, who viewed them as his property and had them at his mercy, discussing Earth's fashion industry on a planet thousands of light years away.

"What a novel idea," Sekara said musingly. "Perhaps when we are free, I will test this system of yours. Our culture has been too preoccupied with the Wraith for as long as I can remember. Fear of their raids made art and design seem trivial in comparison. Of course, compared to the need for survival, all else is trivial, but living in a more obvious captivity these past few years has made it clear that our sacrifices need to be counterbalanced with some joys, with something that is pleasing to the eye, that is of purely aesthetic value, rather than plain and practical and bland."

"You could design new uniforms for my expedition," Elizabeth suggested helpfully. "I think we've had the old ones for too long," she wrinkled her nose. "They always struck me as way too _Galaxy Quest_." She held up a hand to forestall the obvious question. "It's a movie about humans on a tv show about alien life forms, who discover genuine aliens. More of a parody in homage to the genre than a serious science fiction tale, quite enjoyable if you have a sense of humor. Actually, I can relate to the characters now, having discovered aliens do really exist after years of believing it was solely the province of _X-files_ and _Star Trek_."

Sekara stared at her blankly. "You do realize that I have not understood fully half of what you just said?" she enquired.

"I appreciate you listening to me anyway," Elizabeth said warmly, before biting into a crunchy pastry. It was spicier than she expected, the small colored pieces that she had thought were fruit tasted more like chili, and she quickly reached for her glass of water to quench the burning sensation in her mouth.

"Well, I may not understand some of your references to human culture, but it is the most stimulating conversation I have been offered in a long while, and I am making the most of it," replied Sekara, looking amused as she watching Elizabeth rapidly drain the entire glass. "The more I hear of your planet's culture, the more appealing I find it. Much is frivolous, of course, but it sounds _very_ entertaining. I hope that I will be able to take some of this spirit back to the city. It needs rejuvenation. Inspiration. Something to unite us other than our fear of the Wraith. I mean, at what point does a race lose its identity?" she said with a note of regret. "We have replaced art and traditional celebrations with training and drills and simulations, put aside small pleasures for militarism and scientific fervor."

"_And_ supplemented your food with scorching spices," Elizabeth added, setting down her glass pointedly.

As she had hoped, the deliberately petulant remark brought a smile to the other woman's face. "They are native to our planet, simple to grow," Sekara explained. "See, we even sacrifice our taste buds for expedience!" She grabbed the plate of pastries for herself and pushed over another that contained something much like pie.

"Remind me to introduce you to the Athosians. Very traditional people, strong cultural beliefs, and their tuttleroot soup is delightful." Elizabeth eyed the new dish warily before she dug in with her spoon and tasted the tip delicately. Then promptly got another spoonful and set about demolishing the generous slice of pie.

"More to your liking?" asked Sekara mildly.

"This is wonderful," she agreed. "Maybe I should write a tourist handbook, 'The Culinary Delights of the Pegasus Galaxy'. Advise people what tastes good and what they should probably avoid."

Sekara had an innocent expression on her face. "And I can test my cooking on you, then?" she said, then grinned wickedly at Elizabeth's suspicious look before sobering up. "But first you must make your escape. You will come out to the gardens with me and the other women after you have eaten and are properly attired. I have set your dress on the chair in the corner."

Only the knowledge that she was making her bid for freedom soon allowed Elizabeth to regard it with a wistful gaze and sigh, "It's a shame I'm going to have to leave all these designer dresses behind. Do you think it would look suspicious if I ask to pack a suitcase for our little stroll in the gardens?"

"I would not advise you draw attention to yourself at this point," Sekara said dryly. "Do try your best to blend in. We are all wearing similar outfits today, so you should be able to fade into the background, and it will hopefully keep the guards from noticing that we are one fewer when we return. They are hardly vigilant with us anymore, so it may not be as difficult as one would assume."

"They thought they had you broken," said Elizabeth, shaking her head in admiration. "You are truly courageous to work with me against them like this."

"It is at little risk to myself. You are the one that will be on the run, trying to evade recapture, survive the elements, find your way to safety…it is not a task I would lightly take on. Still, your determination makes it seem possible."

"It's good that _one_ of us thinks so," she replied.

Sekara glared at her. "Do _not_ have second thoughts now. The other women are already skittish enough about covering for you without you backing out at the last moment-"

"I didn't mean that I was giving up," said Elizabeth said calmly, maintaining eye contact with the other woman til she sighed and nodded her understanding.

"Sorry for being antagonistic," said Sekara. "You have my faith, which is remarkable as I have only known you for a short time. I can tell that you are a good leader, you make it all too easy to trust you," this last was said with a hint of accusation. "Then the slightest suggestion that you were not confident of your own ability to make this plan work…" she shrugged. "I overreacted."

She really was quite young. Her air of self-assurance was misleading, but Elizabeth thought that Sekara was a few years younger than her. Not nearly as well-traveled before being taken prisoner, having to fend for herself in captivity, now faced with a stranger offering her freedom, and feeling the stress and tension associated with weighing up her options, considering the risks and the painful infusion of hope. Elizabeth didn't take her outburst personally. "My people have something we call gallows' humor," she explained lightly. "When confronted with seemingly insurmountable odds, we prefer to treat the situation with mockery and sarcasm rather than the gravity it deserves. It's supposed to make us feel more in control."

The tension eased from Sekara's face. "Does it work?"

"Hmm…" Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and pretended to consider it, then smirked at Sekara "No, not really. But it relieves the pressure a little."

"Is it also supposed to irritate other people around you?" said Sekara pointedly.

"That too. Usually it's meant to be employed against any parties involved in creating or perpetuating the difficult and often _dangerous_ situation, but you were unlucky enough to wander into the line of fire."

"'Line of fire'?" Sekara repeated. "The Lord escaped mostly unscathed after each of his encounters with you. To my recollection, this 'gallows humor' made no appearance."

"He was in possession of a torture device at the time," said Elizabeth, brow raised to emphasize her point. "It didn't seem wise to provoke him if there was nothing I could gain from it except _pain_. And since I am not male, military and obstinate, I recognize that prudence is not a sign of weakness."

"Well, if he does regain possession of you, it does not matter how prudent you are. The severity of the punishment will be extreme, in all likelihood. Not to the extent that it would mar you physically- he does not like to leave marks on us- but you would need to insult him all you could from the start, as the pain would be excruciating-"

"Sekara," she interrupted. "Is this really necessary?" the other woman stared at her innocently. Elizabeth sighed. "Just when I thought I had my self-confidence at optimal levels. You are a master at pep talks, has anyone ever told you that?"

"I was attempting to develop my ability to use gallows humor in casual conversation," said Sekara. "It was not suitable?"

Elizabeth leveled a calm gaze at her for a long moment. Then swung out of her seat and headed to pick up her dress and get changed.

"What?" called Sekara after her, barely suppressing her laughter. "What did I say?"

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A/N #2: I just realized that it was rather unusual for the bulk of a fic to concentrate on a main character's interaction with an original character. Or at least, an OC that isn't a Mary Sue, and isn't involved in a romantic relationship with the main character. So thanks to everyone who's kept up with this fic so far, despite the narrow focus.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This picks up from an hour later on the same day as the previous chapter. The female characters introduced here are the product of my own imagination, not TPTB. Elizabeth, sadly, is still theirs, much to her detriment.

_This_ _chapter's for justhere1971, because you're awesome(((hugs)))_

The Garden's End Pt 6

_Two days ago:_

The escape plan had been easier than Elizabeth thought. Of course, she had never considered getting out had the hardest part. It was making her way back to safety that she considered the biggest problem. Elizabeth had confidence in her abilities, but a homing pigeon she was _not_.

Sekara had not been exaggerating the laxity of the guards. They seemed to be indifferent to the women altogether. She wondered if it might be a measure of guilt on their part. Perhaps allowing the captives a little freedom while the cat was away alleviated some of the pressure from a nagging conscience.

Or maybe she was overestimating the strength of their principles.

Elizabeth, for her part, was less concerned about the security protocols and more curious about the women Sekara had gathered for their morning stroll. There were roughly fifteen or so, broken up into groupings of two or three. They had little to say, so far, walking stiffly along without any hint of curiosity or interest in who she was. It was like they had retreated somewhere far inside themselves, and marched along like lifeless puppets, as though someone were tugging their strings with every step. No wonder the guards had been unconcerned about letting them wander; anyone looking at these women would have a hard time believing they could pose any trouble.

Yet Sekara had initially appeared just like this, just as crushed and helpless. And look at what spirit she had displayed when she felt it was safe to relax her vigilant control over herself. Elizabeth kept a close eye on the other women, waiting to see if there was anything to support her suspicions, and was rewarded when she caught a few furtive glances thrown her way. These women weren't nearly as withdrawn and uninterested as they tried to appear. Now that she was paying close attention, she noticed how their steps held a measure of impatience kept in check, the sense of a desire to break into a run that was curtailed while they presented the very image of decorum. As they moved away from the building, she saw them lose a little of the tension that had kept them so unnaturally stiff and aloof earlier- one woman pushed familiarly at someone in front of her in an ever-so-subtle hint to pick up the pace, two of the women walking near her made eye-contact and offered hesitant smiles, while a quiet conversation started up somewhere behind her.

Sekara moved closer to her. "It is a blessing that the Lord was called away," she said in soft tones as they meandered through the paths, aiming to gradually work their way deeper into the lush gardens without attracting undue attention. "I overheard that he is having difficulties dealing with the fallout from your disappearance, and our Governor requires him in the city to assist with the investigation to appease your people."

"That sounds like John," said Elizabeth, wryly. "He wouldn't let the threat of destabilizing our diplomatic relations with your people get in the way of kicking up a fuss, despite lacking any proof of wrong-doing. I hope he doesn't declare war before I get back." She made a show of stopping to admire a flower, discreetly glancing back to see how vigilant the guards were being. Excellent. They making a token effort to watch the women's progress, but it was obvious they were more involved in gossiping with each other, or whatever the masculine version of exchanging gossip was called.

"He would wage war to reclaim you?" Sekara responded with surprise. "John must care for you very much, then."

"I…well, he cares about everyone on Atlantis," she corrected the woman. "And he has a tendency to act without always thinking through the consequences first, which has caused some problems in the past. It isn't due to ego or thoughtlessness, though. He just has a compassionate heart and a rather idealistic worldview for a soldier. He puts the needs of the people he considers under his _responsibility_ first, damn the consequences. It's that hero complex of his."

"You make it sound like a vice. I think it sounds rather appealing. Other than the trouble-causing, of course," Sekara observed, as they ventured into an area of denser shrubbery, punctuated by a cluster of fruit trees every few meters.

Elizabeth absently wondered how a man who could construct such beautiful surroundings could hide such an ugly streak inside.

"The universe is not a fair place," she said, "And when John sees something his values determine is wrong or encounters a situation where his sense of honor dictates that he _must_ act, regardless of the repercussions, it can be a headache trying to rein him in, make him realize he can't single-handedly champion every lost cause. It isn't right, and I loathe acknowledging this, but sometimes the needs of the many have to take precedence over the few. But he takes it personally, and every person he can't save is another load of misplaced guilt he doesn't deserve to carry around with him."

Sekara looked at her thoughtfully. "At first I thought your desire to escape this place was no more complicated than your refusal to be a pretty bauble for the Lord, regardless of how severe the consequences may be if you are caught. But now I see we are more alike than I thought. I must be strong for my son, and you are so determined, so filled with resolve to return to this John, who would suffer from losing you."

"It's a very romantic notion, but I can assure you my motives are a great deal more selfish than that," Elizabeth said dryly. "Saving my own skin is a lot higher on my list of priorities at the moment."

A mischievous glint danced in Sekara's eyes, but she did not say anything further on the matter. Instead, she introduced Elizabeth to the two closest women, who had been blatantly eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Do you really believe you can make it?" the shorter one, Lisara, asked breathlessly. She had let down her braid, and it swung loosely at her back while they walked.

"I really believe I have to try," said Elizabeth. She wasn't going to lie to these women, trotting out a comforting fairytale would not fool any of them.

"No one has ever done it before," said the same woman- a girl, really, looking like she was in her early twenties. Actually, most of the women appeared younger than her, Elizabeth realized. _That_ didn't bode well for her longevity in the Lord's 'collection'.

"One poor soul did," contradicted the other. "That is, she tried. This was before your time, Lissy. She, uh, _persuaded_ one of the guards to free her. Could not have gotten too far, she was recaptured the same day. I saw her dragged back in, but…" she shrugged. "She never rejoined us. Who knows what happened?"

"Karin! You never told me someone tried to escape," Lissy said accusingly.

"Why do you think I always told you not to do anything rash?" said Karin with a patient tone. "Going through that once was more than enough. I couldn't stand the fear and uncertainty a second time." She looked at Elizabeth with clear doubt in her eyes, a calculating look pinching her eyebrows as she weighed up Elizabeth's chances.

"Oh, you delicate creature," said Lissy, rolling her eyes. "However, I am _sure_ it was much worse for this woman you speak of than it was for you, despite your strained nerves." She frowned. "Especially if she never returned. What do you suppose-?"

"Thank you, ladies, for that enlightening commentary," interjected Elizabeth. "It's so reassuring to hear such the story of an ill-fated breakout just before I attempt my own."

Both women looked a little ashamed, but a third woman scoffed at her. "Do not blame them for warning you of the risks. You should be fully apprised before you undertake this foolishness. I would ask you to learn from history and not repeat former mistakes, but I suppose it is too late at this point."

Sekara glared at her. "That is enough, Rhian. She has more than enough to deal with, she does not need your mockery as well." Now the other women were slowing down to pay attention to this little scene. "Keep moving, everyone. Elizabeth has to reach the gate _sometime_ this morning, if she has any hope at all, thank you," she said firmly.

"I have a right to be heard," said Rhian icily, her dark fringe framing hostile eyes. "Especially when her actions endanger us all."

Elizabeth met her eyes and said in even tones, "I want to help you all, I really do, but to accomplish that, I must help myself first, and _that_ involves getting out of here."

"No matter whose safety is jeopardized?" she asked pointedly. "I warned Brianda that it was suicide to try to escape, but she was so insistent that she could not stay here any longer, and would do whatever it took to get free. So I supported her. Told her she could do it. Said I had faith in her." Bitterness seeped into her voice. "And when the Lord discovered her missing, he called me to him. The pain I suffered for her was…horrendous. In the end, it was for nothing. She was recaptured and my efforts to protect her were for nothing." She shook her head, the hurt in her eyes making Elizabeth ache with sympathy.

She reached out and laid a comforting hand on Rhian's shoulder for a moment. "I've only just met you. Of course you don't trust me or have any reason to believe in me. I am so sorry for all that you've been through, for what all of you have had to endure. And I am going to do my very best to prove myself to you, to the others, and to _him_. I'm afraid I can't take your advice to give up now, I have to take advantage of this opportunity, otherwise none of us will ever leave this place."

"She is the most suitable person," Sekara seconded her. "Elizabeth has not been here more than a few days. Going now will reduce the chances of any of us being associated with her. And the Lord has no hold on her the way he does with us. She has no family or loved ones here that he can threaten, as we have. Or at least, those that she is affiliated with have alien weapons to protect them. Elizabeth is our only hope."

Rhian uncurled the fists that she had clenched. "I still cannot think that this is a good idea. But I wish you no ill," she relented. Obviously uncomfortable, she went on in an acerbic tone, "Were we not meant to be moving, ladies? Elizabeth must reach the gate _sometime_ today." She threw a mocking glace at Sekara before the group began walking again.

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"This is your plan?" asked Elizabeth incredulously.

"It is the only option I can offer you," Sekara said, looking at her gravely. "Seducing the guards is no longer a possibility, not after what happened the last time. They know that the merest association with us could mean- _chastisement_."

"Well, it's not quite what I expected. As far as escape routes go, this could be seen as uncommonly easy, I suppose. Although considering the last time I climbed a tree was _never_, perhaps it isn't the time to begin rejoicing just yet."

Elizabeth looked up at the massive tree in front of them. It was on the other side of the electrified fence that stood between her and freedom, although over time, its branches had spread out in all directions, even over their side of the fence. And, like the banyan trees of Earth, there were smaller branches that split off from the main horizontal branch to grow downwards, seeking the ground. Although 'branch' was an inaccurate description- the offshoots were more like roots that grew in reverse, from the tree into the earth, rather than from the earth itself. At the moment, however, they were too young to have reached the earth yet, and looked like vines, like rope far more than bark, with tough fibrous tendrils that wound together to form a sturdy cord.

Conveniently, such vines had grown at various intervals along the branch that extended over the fence, providing her with a few strong candidates. Sekara was proposing she use one to pull herself up to the broad tree bough, then simply walk along it, over the fence, and drop to the ground on the other side. Given the height of this thing, it was good that Elizabeth had no fear of heights.

"We can give you a boost up as high as we can manage," Sekara said. "But after that, it will be up to you.

Elizabeth just barely suppressed a groan. The movies always made it look so much easier. Where was a convenient laundry basket she could stow away in? Studying her nails, she decided to be gratefully that they were neatly trimmed- trying to drag herself up a tree would be hard enough without worrying about ripping her nails out.

"Any last words of advice before I leave?"

Lissy came up to her, fumbling with her gown. There was a wealth of lace and ruffles at the edge of the gown, giving the impression that she was walking in foam, from which she detached a lengthy pocket of material, and filled it with small clear-wrapped bars that she had concealed in the frilly lining. "I know you can't take too much with you, in case it slows you down," she handed it over to Elizabeth, "but I managed to get a few bites of food for you. Actually, it was for me," she added a little wistfully, "but I think you could use it more right now."

"How did you-?" Karin began, but cut herself off, clearly deciding she would rather not know. She gave Lissy's braid a quick tug in rebuke.

"Thank you," said Elizabeth swiftly, before another round of verbal jousting started up again between the two women. "That's very helpful of you." She looked at the bars and smiled. "My very own Christmas stocking. I appreciate it, Lissy."

"Fare well," she said. "I hope you will be safe."

A memory struck her just then, of wheezing and gasping for water. Of the dangers of consuming unknown alien food. She contemplated the offerings with a little more doubt.

Sekara snickered, instinctively knowing what went through her mind. "Don't worry," she told Elizabeth lightly. "Those are honey-nut bars. No spices in them, I promise." They shared a smile, before she became serious again. "All right. There are many edible fruits that grow in the wild, but do not eat anything yellow, or with purple spots, unless you wish to spend an hour regurgitating the contents of your stomach onto the ground."

"Hmm, pleasant."

"There are vines with fat green leaves that contain a sweet nectar," Karin added, "though you will need to brave the sharp thorns first. It will keep you hydrated, so you need not fear you will collapse of thirst."

"And if you graze yourself, look for a small shrub with purple berries and heart shaped leaves," said an unfamiliar woman, "The juice has healing properties, so just squeeze the berries onto your skin, and cover with the leaves."

Still more helpful suggestions were called out, until Elizabeth felt hard-pressed to recall it all. However, she now had enough information to safely distinguish between many species of edible and inedible plants, as well as those with curative uses. At least, she hoped she had it the right way around.

"I think I can manage now, thank you all," she said, directing a smile at everyone.

"Fine, let us see how high we can lift you. And when I say 'we'…" Sekara called a few women over to form a circle around Elizabeth. "You are not at all heavy, but I am _not_ suited to weight-lifting," she said, supervising from outside the circle.

Elizabeth eyed her slender body and smirked. "I admit, I do feel more secure this way."

The idea was that two women linked their hands together, and Elizabeth supported herself on a third woman's shoulder as she stepped on. Then two other women moved in, also linking their hands so that the four of them were holding her up. In practice, it took a few tries before they were able to successfully pull it off, without the participants losing their grip and without her losing her balance. She was developing a whole new appreciation for the challenges that cheerleaders faced.

Once Elizabeth was able to grasp the vine, and hold on, they assembled themselves underneath her so that she could stand on their shoulders until she had a firmer grip and could pull herself up. Personally, she wished they could form a pyramid like cheerleaders did at pep rallies, to allow her to use them to clamber higher, but that would require training time that she didn't have to spare.

"I apologize in advance to anyone I kick in the head," she said breathlessly, as she clung for dear life. Her arms ached, and with the worst possible timing, her nose began to itch. _Ignore that and move _upshe told herself firmly.

"We are in position to catch you, but I would suggest you try to climb higher," said a particularly dry voice. Rhian? Standing by to offer support? And after all her negative comments earlier, that was saying something. "Your strength will give out too soon if you do not try to move now."

Elizabeth bit her lip and began the slow, agonizing process of dragging herself up. Thank god Teyla had insisted on putting some time aside to teach her a few rudimentary skills at the stick fighting craze that had claimed John and Ronon, amongst many others of the expedition team. She was certainly in no shape to be taking on any of them in a serious contest, it was more a fun way of exercise, something more stimulating than yoga. The _Athosian Guide to Fitness_, one might say. It certainly had developed her upper body strength, and considering the circumstances, she thought she might owe Teyla a highly coveted caramel frappe when she returned to the city. This exotic drink was something that held strong sway over Teyla, all the more because it was in such short supply. Of course, if you had influence over certain people, it was a different story.

_And what use is it being expedition leader if you don't have the influence to make certain things happen when you wanted?_ Elizabeth thought with whimsical superiority. Abusing power was practically a constitutional right.

She was definitely going to indulge in a lot of things when she returned home. A long soak in the bath to loosen all her muscles was first on her list.

Then she'd sit on the pier, right by the ocean, and dream the day away. Forget about her responsibilities and being in charge and just let the rhythm of the waves silence the turmoil of her thoughts. Tune out the cacophony of voices demanding her attention and try finding her inner peace for a change.

And of course, she'd take her radio with her because she was too much of a control freak to be out of contact with the control room. Just in case they needed her. But she wouldn't call to check up on them, that would be her concession. Even if John was on yet another offworld mission that ran overtime.

Maybe that evening she'd let Rodney hold the _Lord of the Rings_ marathon he'd been pestering her about for ages. Bill had sent copies of the entire trilogy, insisting that they had to watch it, but somehow it had been put off time and again. Now she knew that she had to make it home, if only so she could find out how the damn quest would be resolved. She couldn't give up now, not without knowing the ending.

And constantly underscoring these random thoughts that streamed through her consciousness was the one simple edict: _reach up, grab hold, pull_. _Dig in feet_. _Then repeat_.

There were a few bad moments when she almost slipped, when reality hit her and she wondered who she was trying to fool. When in her life had she ever taken an acrobatics course? This was insane! And yet, even through the muted gasps of her audience below at each near miss, their support and encouragement filtered to her. Even though she had done nothing to deserve it, they were throwing their lot in with her, and she _could not_ give up, not without first throwing every last bit of strength and resolve into finishing what she'd started.

She fell into a rhythm, willing herself to focus on the objective and ignore everything else. For once, it was about the destination, not the journey. Awakening to the perilous circumstances she found herself in, suffering even a moment of distraction could be fatal. Employing the single-minded intensity that had been responsible for her thriving so long in this galaxy, despite all its challenges, the _hell-with-you_ attitude that she fell back on when the odds were against her, Elizabeth persevered.

Then suddenly, as she reached up automatically for the next handhold, she encountered a solid obstruction and her eyes finally met the huge sturdy bough. After making it up all this way, she didn't know how she managed to clamber onto it and swing a leg over so that she was safely seated at last. Elizabeth held on tightly and leaned forward, gasping for breath, nearly sobbing. It was like the strain of the ascension only now registered on her body, sapping her strength, and she felt like she had no energy left to move.

Then her arms prickled painfully as her circulation properly restored itself, after being hindered all this time by her arms being maintained in a death-defying grip above her head, and fire burned in her blood, rushing all the way down to her fingertips. She had to keep moving or it would be all the more painful. She could cramp up and be stuck here til someone retrieved her, like a cat waiting for a kindly fireman to take pity. Except whoever came for her wouldn't have her best interests at heart.

Rather than risk standing up and promptly falling over the side again, Elizabeth cautiously inched her way across the bough. It was slow, but a lot safer. She wasn't willing to trust her balance up here, particularly on her shaky legs. When she finally reached the tree trunk, it was all down-hill from there. Compared to the intense pressure on her to climb up in the beginning, the descent was almost an anti-climax.

Til the moment her feet hit the ground, and her eyes met those of the other women trapped across from her.

No one said a word.

Her raspy breathing sounded abnormally loud as she shared a fierce look with the group, a promise implicit in her gaze. Slowly, she turned away, taking one step, then another, picking up pace as she left them behind.

And then the run began in earnest.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter focuses on the other guys. ;) Yeah, I finally remembered the male eye candy aka those who take screen time from the awesome Lizzeh. XP

_This_ _chapter's for Alter Ego for telling me to be brave and expand the story._

The Garden's End Pt 7

_Two days ago:_

"Hey, Sheppard."

"Yeah?"

"Want me to knock a few heads together? Might make them talk." Ronon eyed the security detail posted at the door and showed his teeth in his best '_my-gun-is-not-set-to-stun_' snarl. The two men flinched amusingly, and he returned his focus to Sheppard.

"Thanks, big guy, that can be plan B," he responded distractedly. And looked up in time to see Ronon smirking to himself before engaging one of the security agents in a staring contest. No prizes for guessing who was coming first in the intimidation stakes.

He should really try not to encourage Ronon like that. Elizabeth would have known better, would have heard him out and then politely but firmly refused. The Satedan was disturbingly blunt and preferred to confront a problem head on. He _had_ been working on developing Ronon's impulse control, but ever since Teyla had taught him how to creatively interpret and even outright circumvent direct orders, it was better not to give off even a whiff of approval to any sort of head-bashing plan. The last thing he wanted was for Ronon to take his words to heart and go all Rambo on those jerks.

Even if it would be pretty satisfying.

They'd been given the political runaround for three days. Apparently no one in this damn place had a clue what had happened to Elizabeth or how their security could have been breached to the extent that a visiting dignitary wound up missing. Everyone denied responsibility, all the minions scurried around, frantically paper-pushing while he and his team were left to cool their heels in one meeting room after another. But he was going to keep on making a fuss until someone pulled their head out of their ass and decided to do something constructive about finding Elizabeth. He refused to believe that she could have withstood all the dangers of the Pegasus Galaxy, the attacks by the Wraith, the disastrous encounter with the Asurans and a million other crises, only to get kidnapped on some backwater planet. It was just wrong, he had no other word for it. Wait, no, there was _pointless_ and _stupid_ to add to the list.

And it was his fault. Why the hell hadn't he done a better job of protecting her? Hadn't he learnt by now not to let his guard down on an alien planet? Their allies could so rarely be trusted, he should have known that by now. He should've taken some sort of extra precautions, anything but sit on his ass and let her get taken.It wasn't that he didn't trust Elizabeth to take care of herself, but he knew that she'd willingly put herself in danger if it would benefit their people in some way. His job was to make sure she wasn't put into a situation where that would happen. And he'd failed.

--------------------------

_Last week:_

"_Elizabeth, we've got something," he announced without preamble, striding into her office with barely suppressed excitement._

"_When he says 'we', he means 'I'," gloated McKay. "Tracked down the location of a ZPM, actually." The scientist looked unhealthily pleased with himself. _

"_With our help," said Sheppard meaningfully. _

"_What? Well, I suppose, but…_how_? I was the one that detected the anomalous energy signature," McKay persevered. "I led you straight to it."_

"_And who was the one that flew the jumper that got you there?"_

_"I'll have you know that I am just as capable of operating one-"_

_"Oh, please, there is no way we would've gotten there in one piece if_ you'd _been-"_

"_Gentlemen, settle down. Start at the beginning, please," Elizabeth said in that long-suffering schoolteacher tone that suggested she wouldn't let them sit together in class anymore if they kept this up._

"_We encountered a new race, the Minesstona-"_

"_Why does that make me think of minestrone?" muttered McKay to no one in particular. "Actually, that sounds pretty good right about now. Oh, great, now I've made myself hungry." Becoming aware of the glares being directed at him by the command team of Atlantis, he cleared his throat and went on, "On M45-291, as you know, Elizabeth, where we were seeking out new, hopefully advanced life forms from whom we could adapt technology for our own purposes. Which, well, they're not that advanced, but the fact that they have a ZPM makes them worth knowing."_

"_They're definitely not worth knowing for their food," Ronon rumbled in the background. "No variety at all. Should hook them up with Teyla's people." He and Teyla shared a smirk. _

"_Anyway," said Sheppard, bringing the discussion back on topic, "they're willing to discuss trade. I don't think they really care about the ZPM one way or another, they have no idea how to use it, but they're not going to be too eager to give it up without some convincing."_

"_Thank you for leaving the negotiations to me for a change, John," she said teasingly. "It'll be pleasant going in there to a blank slate, rather than an agreement you've already made that I just need to rubberstamp."_

_McKay snickered at the lighthearted rebuke. "Well, if that's settled, I'm heading for the Mess. I haven't eaten since…"_

"_An hour ago," Ronon said dryly. "But that food wasn't that good. I'm feeling hungry too. Teyla?"_

"_I believe I will go shower," she said, then continued delicately, "though some of my respected teammates may be in more urgent need of cleansing." She nodded a farewell to Elizabeth, and then headed out, leaving her teammates unsettled. _

"_What is she saying?" McKay asked in disbelief. "Which of us did she-? Oh, never mind, she's gone anyway. And I need to eat regularly, otherwise my health could suffer. I think that's more important." He stalked out the door in a huff._

"_Sheppard, you coming?" Ronon asked, as he followed the scientist, who was blazing a path for the Mess._

"_Not yet, I'll catch up with you guys later," he said. Once he was alone with Elizabeth, he moved closer and settled on the edge of her desk, then noticed the subtle wrinkling of her nose. "What? What was that look for?" he asked defensively. Surely Teyla hadn't meant _him_-?_

_She quirked an eyebrow in all innocence. "Nothing," she said, but she was smirking with a 'gotcha' expression that let him know he'd been had._

_He narrowed his eyes at her, sighed dramatically, and then launched into a more detailed report on their mission, filling her in on what she'd need to know when dealing with their latest potential allies._

--------------------------

Back in the office of some government lackey or other, Sheppard contemplated the wall in stony silence.

He couldn't even remember when he saw her last. All throughout that evening, he'd kept catching glimpses of Elizabeth with various political players, and admired the way she managed to maintain a conversation with them, the smooth way she had insinuated herself into their ranks. They all appeared thoroughly charmed by her.

Personally, he'd never met a politician worth his time. Having to mingle with them was a tough job, and Elizabeth had executed it with aplomb. Maybe, he thought, they'd actually be able to get through negotiations without something disastrous happening for a change.

Noticing the desperate look Teyla was surreptitiously giving him, he had gone to rescue her from her insistent admirers. And throughout the rest of the function, at no stage had any inkling of danger struck him.

The frustration of sitting still and doing nothing hit him again, along with the urge to stalk out of the building and tear through every house, search every store, turn every last hiding place upside down til he found her. But he beat it down grimly. Going off half-cocked now would only hamper their chances of getting Elizabeth back. It was one of the first things she had taught him- get all the information possible, _then_ take action once you're fully aware of the situation. Or you could just make everything worse, the way he had on that ill-conceived mission to save Colonel Sumner when they first came to this galaxy.

He hadn't been able to save Sumner that time. Military or not, he was damn well not going to lose another commanding officer this time.

And as he was making this vow, he tried to ignore the flutters of anxiety that had nothing to do with mere apprehension for the leader of the city, and everything to do with a crippling fear for the woman herself. He just hoped that the worst-case scenarios running through his head bore no resemblance to the actual circumstances Elizabeth had found herself in. Or he may as well just declare war on the whole galaxy and be done with this damn alliance thing.

---------------------------------


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Warning for Sparky undertones. I didn't set out to make this shippy but it crept in there anyway. :P

_This chapter's for Aviniti, who made me want to update. :D_

The Garden's End Pt 8

_Yesterday_:

Elizabeth had definitely had better mornings. Waking up in a bed was a luxury she had taken for granted before this whole misadventure. When she got back to Atlantis, she thought she might lie down on her bed and just relish the simple pleasure of a soft padded surface on which to rest her weary body. A week might not be long enough to indulge in such an activity, and damn the impracticality of it. She could always use her authority to set up a roster of people to bring her food and water so that she didn't have to leave her bed for those necessities.

At present, sadly, there was nothing she could do to improve her accommodations. Elizabeth was curled up against a tree, shielded from view by an abundance of shrubs. Decidedly uncomfortable and very restrictive, since she couldn't stretch too much or shift around to try and find a more comfortable way to lie on the hard ground for fear of compromising her hiding place, but at least the native plants that concealed her were also laden with berries that she was _fairly_ sure were the edible type. Based on her vague but hopefully accurate recollections of the short briefing she had been given by the women who had helped her escape the compound where they were held captive.

For a moment she wondered whether they had been able to cover for her or whether her absence had been noted, and if so, what was happening to them because she was missing. Her only consolation was that his Lordship wasn't due back yet, and with any luck, the guards he left behind would not feel compelled to take the initiative and mete out punishment themselves. Their master was a man very protective of what belonged to him; she didn't think they would dare touch the women he thought of as his property without explicit authorization. She _hoped_.

Elizabeth watched the dark sky gradually lighten, streaks of pink and gold piercing through the gloomy grey veil of early morning as the sun began to make its presence felt in the world once more. She had been awake for a while, but despite the pressure of fear and panic weighing heavily in her chest, urging her to get up and move _now_, she made herself wait til there was enough light to continue her trek through this endless forest. No point in tripping in the darkness and breaking a leg.

When she judged that there was sufficient light to proceed by, it was with relief that she finally pulled herself up out of concealment, even though she had to lean against the firm tree trunk when her entire complement of muscles cramped agonizingly, refusing to let her move right away. The return of feeling to her legs was a mixed blessing as the tingling of pins-and-needles stabbed at her but compared to everything else she had suffered, this was nothing but a temporary inconvenience.

Letting out a deep breath, she told herself to start moving. For the past hour, she had nearly driven herself mad with impatience at doing nothing, and yet paradoxically, now that she was on the verge of leaving her hiding place, fear and insecurities locked her feet to the ground. It was…creepy being the only living person around…as far as _she_ knew. Perhaps there were guards tracking her right now, perhaps not, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched and the idea of stepping away from her shelter, exposing herself out in the open, was terrifying.

The childhood fear of monsters around the corner re-surfaced, dragging thoughts of bad horror movie clichés with it. She was half-convinced that if she were to peek around the tree, there would be someone there waiting to jump her.

"Like I'm any better off standing here like this," she whispered to herself. This wasn't a game of Tag; hugging a tree didn't make her 'safe'.

Taking slow deliberate steps, she tried to avoid trampling the tangle of vines and bushes as she carefully made her way out, holding her dress tightly around her to avoid snagging any fabric on the twigs. She had to minimize any traces of her presence left behind. Expert woods-woman and tracker, she was _not_, but Teyla and Ronon had taught her some of the basics on a rare off-world trip they'd undertaken together when she negotiated with a shy elusive race known as the Amidar.

Elizabeth wished she had paid closer attention to how they conducted themselves on that occasion. It wasn't that she had ignored their teachings because it _had_ been an amusing means of passing the time while they tried to find signs of the Amidar while roaming around, waiting to be contacted by their scouts, but an amusement, a new source of trivia, was all it had been to her. No matter how far or deep they penetrated into the unknown, she had not feared for her safety with the two alien members of her expedition- even when Ronon had suggested abandoning her to her own devices to see if she could fend for herself and she had wondered for a split second whether he was joking or not- so she hadn't fully absorbed the lessons with the focus and gravity this life-and-death situation required.

Evading the hunters, hiding one's trail, living off the earth; these were lessons Ronon had learned the hard way. Elizabeth had no idea how he'd manage to survive being hunted by the wraith for seven years but if he could last that long under such dire circumstances, then surely making it back to nearby civilization and her people, with such a lengthy head start and no tracking device to give away her location- she hoped- this had to be a walk in the park.

With such comforting thoughts on her mind, she began the second day of her escape.

---

_City Center_:

Four days missing and they were no closer to tracing Elizabeth's whereabouts nor to establishing what exactly had happened to her.

John Sheppard was familiar enough with disappearances on off-world missions but these unfortunate incidences usually occurred with _him_ in the starring role. It was a regular risk he undertook every time he stepped through the gate; he viewed it as an occupational hazard. His team had a knack for getting themselves into sticky situations but always managed to wriggle out of them and maybe that habit had imbued him with a fatalistic calm- someone more uncharitable might call him cocky- he had developed an flippant armor of unflappable coolness to deal with the constant life-and-death situations that kept cropping up, and the frequency with which he escaped them encouraged the strong belief that somehow, things would work out in his favor.

Or not. He had cheated death so many times that when it finally came for him, he was resigned to accept his fate without complaint. So many good people had died before him, people that deserved to still be here, people he would have gladly exchanged places with- but that wasn't how life worked. All he could do to atone for their losses was to make his life count by doing his duty and protecting others, by sacrificing himself for them if the need arose, that was the only way he was able to make sense of the universe and to cope with its cruel indifference.

Losing _Elizabeth_ off-world? Was a scenario he would not accept. Ask him to die for her and he would in a heartbeat. A soldier's life was precarious in these times and circumstances, and knowing he was fighting for galactic peace, however clichéd that sounded and however unlikely it looked to be achieved in his lifetime, and for the safety of everyone on Atlantis and Earth gave it all _meaning_.

But Elizabeth stood for peace and unity, freedom and cooperation, all the good and noble things that the world should be about; she personified the principles and ideals that people like him gave their lives to preserve and uphold. It was inconceivable that she should die in this place, here and now, not while he was there, charged with ensuring her safety.

Fine job he was doing of that, too.

He shut his eyes and tried in vain to think of something he could do, some other avenue he could pursue. What on earth did Elizabeth do when his team went missing? Well, usually their enemies made it easy by dialing up Atlantis to make ransom demands, which made the process of identifying their location and setting up a rescue mission more convenient. Or she stalled the bad guys as long as she could while he worked the people on his end to try and cause as much chaos during which he could escape. The good news was that Plans A and B were foolproof; the bad news was that they both hinged on knowing where to _find_ the missing people before being implemented.

The only thing in their favor was that McKay and the science geeks had been able to determine the gate had not been activated since their arrival, meaning wherever Elizabeth was, she hadn't been taken off-world. Assuming their hosts were not sneakily concealing far greater technological prowess than they had demonstrated and possessed ships capable of space travel…but it was a bad idea to go down that road since there was nothing he could do to track hypothetical evil space-faring kidnappers. In any event, they would not have to organize a massive search to cover the fifty possible gate addresses, though he would've if it had been necessary. It was no less than what Elizabeth had done for him in the past when _he'd_ been missing.

And no matter how great the odds had been against a happy ending, he'd always made his way back to her. Stepped through the gate weary and battered and bruised, but content in the feeling of being home again, seeing her face light up with relief and joy as she ran down the stairs to welcome him back.

It was inconceivable that he could return to Atlantis without her, that life could go on as normal when she was no longer there to oversee everything, to provide the calm voice of reason when people grew tense and frustrated, to impose order when confusion threatened, to make the difficult decisions that he- for all his military training and wartime experience- never could. They had worked so well as a team these past few years, and the idea of a replacement taking her place beside him was _abhorrent_, verging on blasphemous.

He couldn't even process the personal implications of losing her. That would be his undoing and he owed her too much to lose it right now, the time he needed to be strongest, to find answers…even if the worst had happened.

John stared down at his clenched fists and acknowledged his worst fear- wondered if it was possible he was living in a world without Elizabeth Weir at this very moment.

---

A/N: Returning to this story after so much time has elapsed is terrifying. Re-reading past chapters made me realize this fic's in need of editing, but I figured I may as well try and finish it first before worrying about improving it and fixing continuity errors, lol. Reviews would be appreciated!


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